Jamie Lee Curtis mourns death of father Tony Curtis

Meagan Morris is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist living in New York City. In addition to SheKnows, Morris contributes to many publications including The New York Times, Yahoo! News, PopEater, NBC New York and Spinner. Follow he...

Jamie Lee Curtis mourns

Actor Tony Curtis passed away Wednesday at the age of 85. He made his career as an actor, but was more known for a womanizing reputation and tumultuous relationship with daughter Jamie Lee Curtis.

The relationship between actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her father Tony Curtis was never as close as some father/daughter relationships.

Her mother, Janet Leigh, married Curtis in 1951. The 12-year marriage was tumultuous, but produced daughters Kelly, 54, and Jamie Lee, 51. Curtis admitted that he wasn't the father his daughters needed, citing his problems with substance abuse and womanizing ways.

Though estranged for several years, Jamie Lee told People in 1980 that she made peace with her famous father.

"I understand him better now. Maybe not as a father but as a man," she said.

Leigh also admitted in later years that she had forgiven Curtis.

"Tony and I had a wonderful time together; it was an exciting, glamorous period in Hollywood," the late actress said. "A lot of great things happened, most of all, two beautiful children."

His death comes on the heels of Jamie Lee's return to the big screen in You Again. The actress, in a statement, praised her father for his decades-long career.

"My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages," she said. "He will be greatly missed."